Aeroplane.



l. W.BARCUS.

' AEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. T. 1915.

Patented Peb. 13, 1917'.`

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR mol/M14 ATTORNEY d man wITNEssEs l J. W. BARCUS-l AEROPLANE. APPLICATION mio SEPTEI. 1915.

1,215,466. Patented Feb.13,1917. l l

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

`ATTORNEY JOHN WILLIAM BARCUS, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

AEROPLANE.

To all whom z't may concern.'

Beit known that I, JOHN WIIMAM BAR- CUs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore city and State .of Maryland,

`have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that type of dy- 5 namic Hying machine termed an aeroplane, wherein-support of the machine'in the air is obtained by the resistance accruing from the 'fact that the machine is power driven through the air.

It is one object of the present invention to provide an aeroplane of the monoplane v or biplane type which has the laterally eX- tending supporting wings so arranged and inclined that the machine will leave the ground with a comparatively short prelimi-A nary run, and only requires practically the same power to start as it does to maintain the areoplane in Hight. Thus the diHiculty with the usual construction of aeroplane,

wherein a greater output of power is required to start than to maintain Hight, lis

eliminated.

It has'been determined that, for the pur- `pose of-maintaining longitudinal stability during flight, forward controls are neHicient probably due to the fact that considerable levera e is required to give the requisite up-andown movements for shifting the elevation. Therefore another. object of my invention resides inproviding a machine with a rear controller and having inherent longitudinal stability during Hight. A further object consists in providing a frame having bowed top and bottom portions with Slipporting planes located fore and aft, which construction, gives the advantage of what is termed in the art following surface wherein, when a gust ofwind strikes the first plane the tilt of the machine is compensated for by the increased resistance when the same strikes the edge of the rear plane.

A furtherl object is to provide vertical planes aft of the machine to preserve lateral stability. l l And yet another object resides in providing simultaneously operated front and rear Specification of LettersvPatent. Ptentd Feb, 13, 1.917, Application led September 7, 1915. Serial Nuo. 49,305.

are simultaneously operable to vary and vcontrol the lateral direction of Hight.

l`of-this specification, and in which:

, Figure 1 is a side elevation of an "aeroplane constructed according to the principles of my invention. e

Fig. 2 is a top planview of the same, i Fig. v3 is a perspective view lookingforward from immediately behind the forward supporting planes andy showing the two prodirections.

pellers adapted to be' driven in opposite Fig. vt .isa fragmentary-perspective I of the rear portion of the aeroplane.

Fig.` 5 is a perspective view of the forward portion'of the aeroplane,.sh`owing the forwardly positioned vertical plane for controlling thelateral direction of Hight and,

Fig. 6 ish a perspective view of the rear portion of the aeroplane showing the rear control or levering means land the smaller vertical plane for assisting in controlling the lateral direction'of Hight.

In detail: y

The aeroplane, as shown, comprises the lower framework consisting of the horizontal members 1 carrying pontoons 2 secured thereto by means of stays 3. Also the horizontal members 1 carry axles 4 having journaled thereon the pneumatically ltired wheels 5. The horizontal members 1 are provided with uprights 6, 7, 8 and 9 on each side which gradually increase in height to` ward the forward end of ,the aeroplane.

The said uprights 6, 7, 8 and 9 carry the longitudinally extending bowed frame mem bers 10 and similarly bowed longitudinally extending top frame members 11 are. also provided; sa1d frame members 11 are supported and spaced from said first-mentioned longitudinally extending frame members' 10 by means of upright stays 12. At the extreme forward end of the'ae'roplane is located a vertical plane 13 which swings vor I oscillates on pivot 14 journaled in the are controlled from the drum 1 8, the planes 12 and 21 may be moved or shifted'in opposite directions to vary and control the lateral direction of flight.' f p At the forward portion of themachine, theframe members 10 carry a fixed laterally extending supporting plane 24 of trapezoidal form, and a similar plane 25- is-positioned `directly thereover and carried lby members 11. Between thesupporting planes 24 and 25' are located rectangular supplementary supporting planes 26,v one lon each sideV of the aeroplane, positioned between the planes 24 and 25, and the position of the planes 26 is such Athat the latter project lat# erally beyond the forward portions of said planes 24 and 25. v f

Aft of the aviators space and carried by I, the members 11 is a' fixed-,laterally extending supporting plane 27, similar in shape tov planes 24 and 25, but reve'rsely` positioned, that is to say its wider endlies adjacent they wider en d of plane 25. Beneath the plane 27 and carried by frame members 10 is an other laterall extending'supporting plane 28, but this. ateral` plane does not extend beyond the vmembers 10. Vertically positioned and connecting `the planes 27 and 28 at each side of the aeroplane are the vertical planesv 29 which impart lateral stability to the aeroplane during ightf All of the fixed planes and frame members are reinforced by suitably. arranged tie-wires or stays 30. I l

At the lextreme rear end of-the aeroplane,

- and pivoted at 31is'the rear `controleer elevating plane 32 which swings or oscillates up and down about the pivot 31,- and by so controlling the plane 32 the elevatiolrof the aeroplane, during Hight, may be varied and controlled. The rear edge of the plane 32 is' connected with Vone end of a cable 33 which extends over pulleys 34 and connects with the lever 35 mounted on bracket 36, thus by moving the lever forwardly in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig.l 1, the rear control plane 32 may be raised. The rear edge of the said controlplane 324 has also connected thereto a cable'37 running over pulleys 38 and connecting with the lower -end 39 of lever 35, said lever being pivoted at 40; thus by moving the mitgealever 35 A in a directiony reverse tov that indi-V cated by the arrow in Fig, 1 the said elevating plane'may be lowered and the elevation of theaeroplane is thus under com- ,plete control of the operator at all times.

Within the' aviators space is located a suitable vseat 41 which' is adjacent the controlling wheel 20 and lever 35. Immediately behind the forward supporting planes 24 and '25, and about the middle of the machine are located two propellers '42 and 43 which are carried by shafts 44 and 45, respectively.

Said shafts carry sprockets 46 and. v47 over which runs the crossed chain or "belt 48, and thus by imparting rotative movementto either shaft the propellers are driven in opposite directions tolpropel the machine forward. However, in this instance, the

shaft 44 carries a sprocket 49 over whichV a chain 50 runs and is driven from a suitable prime mover 51 which may be in the form of a high-speed internal combustion engine.

It is believed, from the foregoing descrip-` tion, that the operation and control of the machine will be apparent to those skilled in the art without further description of the same; and. while I have herein described a speciic embodiment of the invention for illustrating, the principles thereof, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to suchl embodiment but may resort to such modifications and arrangements of parts as fall within the scope of the invention as de.r

ined'in the appended claims.

I claim 1. In an'aeroplane, a frame, a pair of fixed superimposed planes at the forward end ofisaid frame, the said planes being of equal length and width and having their lateral edges inclined forwardly and inwardly, superimposed lplanes at the rear portion of said frame, and the upper Ici' said rear planes having its lateral edges inclined inwardly and rearwardly, substantially as described.

2. In an. aeroplane comprising. a frame having propelling and steering mechanism, superimposed spaced supporting lanes at the forward, end of said frame, said planes being of substantially trapezoidal shape and having their shortest longitudinal edges disposed forwardly, an intermediate plane arranged parallel with and between said rst mentioned planes and being ofy a width equal thereto, and the said intermediate plane being of a width equal to that of the first mentioned plane and of a length equal to the longest side of said trapezoidal planes, substantially as described.

3. In an aeroplane comprising a frame having propelling and steering mechanism, superimposed spaced supportin planes in arrears of the propelling mec anism, the

uppermost of said planes being of trare- In testimony whereof I aix my signature oidal hpe angl havilg lilts 1longest e gli?? in presence of two witnesses.

ispose orwar y, an t e owermost o v I said planes being of rectangular shape and JOHN WILLIAM BARGUS' substantially smaller than said upper plane, Witnesses:

and vertical planes connecting said super- C. EVERE'LT LANCASTER, imposed planes, substantially as described. M. E. JONES.' 

